On Thursday, the Tanzanian High Court rejected a request to stop a corporation from the United Arab Emirates from managing Tanzania’s ports.
Four Tanzanians who opposed a 2022 agreement between Tanzania and the UAE filed the petition. According to the agreement, DP World, an Emirati logistics business, will take over administration of a few ports on Tanzania’s mainland.
On June 10, the agreement was accepted by Tanzania’s parliament.
Many activists, residents, and opposition politicians criticised the transaction for what they perceived as the Tanzanian government selling off their nation.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced the Tanzanian government in August for intimidating and imprisoning anyone who opposed the transaction. It happened after the government had detained and arrested 18 people on June 19 in Dar es Salaam for opposing the accord.
Oryem Nyeko, an HRW researcher in Tanzania, stated that the government should respect the right to freedom of expression and assembly and pay attention to critics rather than cracking down on them.
The UAE company has already signed into agreements to develop or manage several African ports, including the Banana port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Bosaso port in Puntland, the Berbera port in Somaliland, and the Ain Sokhna port in Egypt.
Additionally, the UAE has expressed interest in running the adjoining ports of Mombasa, Lamu, and Kisumu.